Men of Courage youth mentoring program needed

Men of Courage deserves recognition for collaborating with the Elyria Youth Sports Club and recently completing a successful mentoring program.

This month, 30 students in the fifth to eighth grades concluded a six-month mentoring program.

Anthony Jones, president and founder of Men of Courage, hit the nail on its head that his group has a mission to develop men and young boys to be the best versions of themselves.

Jones, who created Men of Courage in 2010 while living in Columbus, believes the best versions will come through mentoring.

After returning to Northeast Ohio in 2015, Jones saw a need for a local mentoring program to benefit men and children in the schools, and he created a Lorain County chapter.

During the recent workshop with the Elyria Youth Sports Club, the groups offered the youngsters a place to work out and continue their physical exercises over the winter months, along with receiving mentoring, The Morning Journal’s Heather Chapin reported.

The youth met two to four Saturdays a month from November until April.

Jones praised Daniel Castro, one of the mentors, for his dedication and hard work teaching children about important topics they can use in their daily lives, including behavior at school, respecting themselves and each other and joining in teamwork.

Castro was a key contributor and consistently showed up each Saturday morning to encourage the young athletes.

Another subject Castro, Jones and the mentors heavily touched on was empathy and having love for fellow human beings.

Behavior in school was one of the top areas the mentors wanted to impress upon the youth.

By the end of the six months of mentoring and exercising, the word had spread throughout the community that this was the place to be.

About 70 youngsters attended the closing day of the program where children as young as in the first and second grades joined in exercising and mentoring in a fun, safe and warm environment.

Overall, Jones called the mentoring program a success, and a win-win, because it gave the youngsters something to do in the winter months.

Throughout the year, Men of Courage offers a development youth mentoring series where it mentors male and female youth to promote a growth mindset in terms of decision-making and being cognizant of their life choices and how those choices affect not only themselves, but their families, friends, classmates and, perhaps, society.

Men of Courage also provides a forum for open discussion and an action plan to show how men can maximize their manhood by looking in the mirror and conducting an honest appraisal of themselves, and determining what areas of their characters need improvement.

Men of Courage can mentor a man to become a better and well-rounded husband, father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, co-worker and mentor to all in his life.

Aric Bowens, founder and president of the Elyria Youth Sports Club, also should be commended for assisting and recommending students for the mentoring program.

The Elyria Youth Sport Club offers many sporting competitions such as baseball, softball, track and chess.

The mission of the Elyria Youth Sport Club is to provide inclusive outlets for the youth in the community, promoting participation, skill development and personal growth in a safe and supportive environment.

This year, competitive players at Elyria South Baseball Club, which is a part of the Elyria Youth Sports Club, received an incredible opportunity for mentorship, thanks to the partnership with Jones and the Men of Courage.

The Lorain County Community Action Agency, under the leadership of Tasha Craighead, helped make this mentoring program successful along with the Church of the Open Door, Lorain Campus, which served as the host site.

Youth Pastor Joseph Gonzales also played a vital role in welcoming and helping to get the mentoring program started for the season.

Men of Courage and the Elyria Youth Sports Club have built something truly impactful.

It’s apparent the children genuinely looked forward to each Saturday because they continued to show up, and it was not just for the baseball, but for the growth, mentorship and the positive environment they experienced.

Jones and Bowens believe the partnership with all of the organizations involved in the mentoring program will leave a lasting mark on the youngsters.

It’s about building young people into strong leaders, which will lead to a strong community.

Everyone involved, including Jones, Bowens Castro, volunteers and sponsors, should be commended.

The men and women who assisted in the mentoring program helped to chart a positive path for the youngsters to follow and succeed.